Over the last few years, the Toronto Blue Jays have continuously fallen short of top free agents. They were in the hunt for superstars Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani but didn’t land either. This offseason, they were potential suitors for Juan Soto, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes, and a lot of other top names, but still continued to fall short.
With all these shortcomings, speculation began to rise that the Blue Jays could explore the idea of trading their superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Guerrero is entering the final year of his contract and the two sides haven’t been able to come to terms on a contract extension yet. If Toronto can’t win the bidding wars for all these other stars, it might not be the favorite to re-sign Guerrero if he hits open free agency.
But on Monday morning, the Blue Jays made a move that would indicate they’re still trying to win rather than rebuild.
BALTIMORE, MD – JULY 29: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays tand Anthony Santander #25 of the Baltimore Orioles shake hands before game one of a doubleheader baseball game at the Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 29, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
The Blue Jays have come to terms on a contract with free-agent outfielder Anthony Santander, MLB Network reported first on Monday. Santander’s deal is worth over $90 million with Toronto, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
A move like this clearly indicates the Blue Jays have no interest in reloading their roster and trying to win down the line. Signing Santander indicates the front office is still in win-now mode.
In win-now mode, there is nothing more important than holding onto Guerrero.
It now seems increasingly likely that the Blue Jays will continue to hold onto their superstar infielder until the trade deadline at the earliest. If the Blue Jays are struggling tremendously halfway through the 2025 season, they could look to trade him then. For now, Guerrero is a Blue Jay.
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